Ron Francis was a star player with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes franchise and joined the front office after he retired. / Chris Seward, AP

by Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports

Ron Francis is replacing Jim Rutherford as Carolina Hurricanes general manager, but no decision has been made on the coaching staff.

Francis, who has been groomed for the job for years, said he wanted to take appropriate time before deciding whether to retain Kirk Muller.

"In fairness, I think it's a decision that needs due process," he said during his introductory news conference. "I had a couple days of exit meetings at the end of the year and then I was off to Finland to cover the (under-18) tournament. I hope to be able to dive into more detail on that decision in a little bit."

Rutherford, 65, is stepping back, taking an advisory role as team president.

"Twenty years is a long time for me," he said. "I've been thinking about this for a few years and certainly the time is right now."

He will continue to represent the team at the league board of governors meetings, but will have no one reporting to him and is around if Francis wants to bounce ideas off him.

"I'm only in an advisory role, so if he wants to ask me a question, he can do that at his own risk," Rutherford joked.

Francis, 51, is entering his ninth season in Hurricanes management, the last two as vice president of hockey operations. He also served as assistant coach.

"Ronny's paid his dues," Rutherford said. "He's a good person. He's a good friend. He's a Hall of Fame player. He'll be a good general manager."

Francis, who played for the team in Hartford and Carolina and won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, is taking over a franchise that has missed the playoffs the past five seasons.

"I don't want to just build a team that gets into the playoffs for one year," he said. "I want to build it so it's a very solid franchise and we can do it on a yearly basis."

Rutherford joined the team in Hartford and helped build a franchise and fan base after the 1997 move to North Carolina, despite the team playing initially in Greensboro, N.C., while an arena was built in Raleigh.

The team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 and won it in 2006 under Rutherford.

Francis says he'd like a fast team because speed wins games nowadays in the NHL.

"I always like players who are smart," he said. "I like players who are skilled. I like players who absolutely love to compete, whether it's coming to the rink for practice, whether it's coming to the rink for a game. ... I'd be lying if I didn't say, all things being equal, I'd like a bigger player."

In other moves, Brian Tatum will serve as assistant general manager, and Mike Vellucci was hired as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations.